Woodwork staining and varnishing in Melbourn
For natural timber we sand evenly so stain takes without pale patches, test the colour somewhere hidden such as the back of a door, and add a clear protective coat where hands and feet wear it. On a panelled door we stain the panels before the rails and stiles, which avoids dark lines where wet edges overlap.
Painted woodwork gets cleaned, lightly sanded, filled and undercoated before gloss, satin or eggshell. Satin and eggshell hide the dents of old, uneven timber better than gloss.
Period joinery in older houses
Around 340 homes in the village were built before 1919, and those are the likeliest to have panelled doors, picture rails and deep skirtings. In a Victorian house in Histon we made good, primed and painted exactly that kind of woodwork.
Beams and other bare timber can be oiled with Osmo. If your house is listed, ask the council before stripping or changing historic finishes.
Melbourn at a glance
- 19 milesby road from our Landbeach base, about 27 minutesOSRM routing
- 12%of properties were built before 1919VOA Council Tax stock
- 4%date from 1919 to 1939VOA Council Tax stock
- 93%are houses rather than flatsCensus 2021
- 72listed buildingsHistoric England
- 69%of homes are owner-occupiedCensus 2021
How we approach woodwork staining & varnishing
We start by sanding away old polish and gloss so new coats can grip. Bare pine is primed with Zinsser so knots don't bleed through, gaps along skirtings and architraves are filled, and every coat gets a light sand before the next. Mirka dust-free sanders keep the rest of the house clean while we work. The full method, products and FAQs are on our woodwork staining & varnishing page.